If an unassuming, traditional-looking floorstanding speaker is high on your wish-list, then the Epos Epic 5s could fit the bill.

98cm tall and 32cm deep, the Epic 5s are fairly big but don’t dominate a room. There are solid MDF plinths in the box, plus a set of sturdy spikes.

The speakers themselves are two-and-a-half-way designs, with a 25mm soft-dome tweeter positioned above and dual 17.9cm mid/bass drivers. Those drivers either sit flush with a removable baffle, or hide behind a grille.

Epos Epic 5: Sound qualityPlay a mixture of tracks through the Epics over a prolonged period and you’ll find them easy on the ear and extremely comfortable to live with in the long-term.

Highs from the soft-dome tweeter sparkle, but there’s a real sense of finesse and smoothness there which stops any potential hardness dead in its tracks.

More after the break

The White Stripes’ Dead Leaves And The Dirty Ground crashes and bashes about, but the track doesn’t grate.

Switch to a classical album and the Epic 5s show they can time and sound natural, too. Bass can sound overly plump if partnered with the wrong kit, though, so we’d stick with an agile amp such as the Rega Brio-R to help cut through them.

Epos Epic 5: BiwiringGoing down the bi-wire route, we found the speaker’s soundstage turns more airy and open while single-wire retains greater cohesion. It’s worth experimenting.

We also found the speakers sound their best at least a foot from a rear wall and toed in slightly towards the listener.

There’s a simplicity to the Epic 5s’ sound which is quite charming. They don’t have the dynamic versatility and spark of the class-leaders around this price, but they’re still extremely easy to live with.